The Fields Medal is awarded by the International Mathematical Union at each International Congress of Mathematicians, held once every four years, to between two and four mathematicians aged 40 or under. Widely regarded as mathematics' highest honour, it recognises outstanding achievement and the promise of future work. Hong Wang becomes only the third woman to receive it, after Maryam Mirzakhani (2014) and Maryna Viazovska (2022).

The Fields Medal is a benchmark of global mathematical excellence, and the fields honoured — from mathematical physics to number theory and geometry — reflect the frontiers of the discipline. Hong Wang's award for progress on the decades-old Kakeya conjecture, and her place as the third woman laureate, drew particular attention.